Valserrano 2008 Rioja Blanco Fermentado en Barrica

Pale straw color.

Smell of oak, splintery, sawdusty, entmoot in green glass.

Oaky flavor, tart acid, oak and acid in an odd balance.

Good wine if fairly simple, medium-bodied, $19.99/bottle.

iGreco Filo 2008 Calabria Greco Bianco

Color of straw, some petillance on the glass.

Smells of peach, apple, and clean laundry.

Dry fruity flavor, peach and apple, mineral and saline character, petillance on the tongue.

Very good bottle for $17.99.

I'm not certain that this wine is made from the same grape variety used in the DOC Greco di Tufo, but I think it is.

Fetzer Vineyards 2008 California Gewurztraminer Valley Oaks

Rich golden color, green highlights.

Fresh clean floral smell, the first deep breath as you enter the florist.

Ripe fruit, sweet apple and peach, pear and petillance on the tongue.

At $12.95 a bottle, cheap and cheerful fun.

Las Rocas de San Alejandro 2006 Calatayud Garnacha

Extremely dark purple color.

Plum and cherry smell, mild oak, perhaps the smell of the fruit pits, too.

Sweet plum / cherry flavor, trace of oak.

Fruity, restrained oak, good balance of fruit and acid. This wine doesn't prompt much contemplation, but it does provide plenty of simple enjoyment.

The next day largely unchanged: still a juicy bowl of ripe fruit! ("How much does a grecian urn?")

I don't think Grenache, even from old vines as this is said to be, is this dark-colored unless blended with at least a bit of a dark wine. I propose Malbec, (aka Cot "the Black Wine of Cahors") but I have no evidence that this is true.

I'd very cheerfully buy this again for $11.99.